Talianki (archaeological site)

Talianki is an archaeological site located near the village of Talianky in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. It is notably the largest known Neolithic settlement in Europe, with origins dating back to approximately 3850 BCE as part of the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture. The site features concentric rows of interconnected, two-storey buildings, and it contained an estimated population of up to 21,000 people at its peak. The settlement was later overlaid by Yamnaya culture burial mounds dating to the mid-3rd millennium BCE and graves from the late Bronze Age. Excavations have revealed walls and ceilings adorned with red and black designs, along with ceramic figurines. The site's significance lies in its scale and the insight it provides into Neolithic urban planning and social organization.